Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was by no means surprised to see Kevin Durant walking out that door in free agency. The 53-year-old told Howard Beck of Bleacher Report as much during their conversation on The Full 48 podcast.
Via Michael Lee of The Athletic:
Beck: “On a scale of 1 to 10, what was your surprise level when you heard [KD] had decided to go…?”
Kerr: “Uhhh… 1.”
Kerr was measuredly calm throughout the course of the season, despite an ongoing wave of insistence from local and general media focusing on Durant's potential departure. The coach likely knew something was in the air, given Durant's reluctance to commit to the team, as he had in the past. Kerr cited that the 2018-19 season felt “different” than the others, but he didn't make much of Durant's reasoning beyond his time running its course in Golden State.
The coach also said he didn't think the heated altercation between Durant and Draymond Green was much of anything and that ultimately Durant made the decision he thought was best for his future.
Understanding his decision, however, is another story. Kerr noted it's a very different era than the one he played in, where MVP-caliber players on championship teams would hardly ever leave their situation for another team.
Durant is looking for happiness, maybe validation, and a construct of different things along with the evolution of his game. It's unclear as to just how much that matters to him, but it clearly does more than the immediate chances to win more hardware.
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